Immortal Blood
by Babetteisawesome
Summary: The third in my "Immortal" series. Everything is calm after the events five months before, but the peace is about to be broken. An ancient secret is revealed, one that could tear everyone's world apart. One question must be asked: Are loyalties really thicker then blood?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! Here's book 3! **

**WARNING: UPDATES WILL TAKE AN INCREDIBLY LONG TIME, BECAUSE SCHOOL IS LIVING HELL AT THE MOMEMT! **

**It is only these first few chapters that will be quick, but after that, prepared to wait a long time. **

**Enjoy! **

….

_Chapter 1 _

Once he was certain his teammates were asleep, Private snapped his eyes open. He rose from his bunk, before sitting on the edge, and sighing. The facts about the small penguin's new life had only recently begun to settle in for him.

His highly developed senses had taken getting used to. He smiled and laughed slightly, remembering the weeks, months, he had spent amazed at every new little thing he was able to hear, see and smell. It was as if someone had hit a switch, and caused every part of his body to go to its maximum.

Private jumped off his bunk, landing noiselessly on the floor, before turning to a mirror in the HQ. His altered visual appearance was shocking at first, when Mina had showed him, but he had adjusted. His blood red eyes had caught most of his attention, and the fangs on his beak were a shock, and had been slightly uncomfortable to begin with. However, Mina had helped him adjust, and he quickly became quite used to it all.

Private smiled at the thought of the young vampire girl. _She's so kind. She always makes time for me, and she's so supportive. _Suddenly, the small penguin remembered something, and gasped, "Mina! I was supposed to meet her tonight!" he whispered.

He swiftly climbed up the ladder, and exited the penguin habitat. Private smiled, sighting the blonde seated on one the benches in the zoo, reading a book. He belly slid towards her at a supernatural speed, reaching her in seconds.

Mina smiled, averting her eyes from her book, "Hey Private" she said.

The small penguin replied politely, "Good evening Mina." His gaze shifted to her book, and he raised an eye ridge. Ironically, she had a copy of '_Twilight_' in her hands.

She noticed him looking, and explained, "I wanted to see how good these books actually portrayed us," she wrinkled her nose, "Not that well. I mean, yeah, some of us do drink animal blood, and we _do_ find humans fascinating, but we _absolutely_ _do not_ sparkle in sunlight."

The vampire penguin saw her shudder, and his expression softened further. Sunlight was a bad memory for her. It reminded her of when she had almost been burnt to death. Private jumped up on the bench beside her, and craned his neck to meet her eyes, "It's okay, you didn't die" he reminded her.

She whispered, refusing to look at him, "But…but I could have. At one point I wanted to. It was pure agony."

Her friend responded softly. "I know this is about more than just that," he placed a flipper on her comfortingly, "What's wrong?"

The blonde sighed and pursed her lips. "I…I'm just confused" she replied.

"About what?" asked the vampire penguin, his British accent laced with concern.

Mina answered, finally locking eyes with him, "I'm confused about that whole thing with Iris a few months ago. Why did she call me, 'Mistress'? Why did she treat me so weird?"

Private nodded, but remained quiet. For the past few months, Iris had been accompanying Faith, Mina, Leah and Aaron whenever they visited. She had been acting fairly reclusive and distant around everyone. She was, however, especially like that around Mina for some reason.

The blonde vampire suddenly spoke, breaking the silence. "I…I just still can't believe that she did all that weird stuff? I mean, as far as I know, I've never seen her before in my life." _At least…I don't think I've ever seen her. She doesn't look familiar. I've never heard her name mentioned before. _

Private gazed at her sympathetically, noticing her discomfort. All of a sudden, he noticed a few smears of something on her hands, and a few light splatters on her clothing. He could tell by the metallic smell, as well as the dark crimson colour, that it was blood. Fresh, from what he could tell. The small penguin asked, swallowing to control his own bloodlust, "You hunted?"

Mina, if she was able to blush, would have. She nodded shyly, "Faith has a headache. I had to" she said quickly, as if apologising.

He nodded again, attempting to ease the ache in his throat. He had learned to control his thirst, but his bloodlust was still occasionally a problem. He was no longer, however, tempted to drain his friends. He drank the blood that Mina would bring to him, since he did not have the heart to kill anyone or anything.

He turned to Mina, remembering their conversation. "You're sure you don't remember her?" he asked. She shook her head, and then sighed heavily, burying her face in her hands. Why did things have to be so complicated?

All of a sudden, Iris's voice came from behind them, "Oh, I'm sorry, am I interrupting?"

Private, after hearing Mina groan in her hands, turned to the girl. He replied, not wanting to be rude. "It's alright."

Iris walked up to them, her hands behind her back shyly. She resisted the urge to bow when seeing Mina, but instead merely smiled. The girl's mind was whirling, _How is she still alive? I thought They killed her. Why doesn't she seem to remember? _

The blonde vampire turned to her, "What do you want?" she asked, unable to hide the slight snappiness in her voice.

"Nothing. I just wanted to see if you were alright" she answered. The three fell into silence, and it lasted for a while, until Iris said politely. "I think I'll go" and walked away.

Private turned back to his friend, and put a flipper on her. "It's going to be alright. She's probably accidently got you confused with someone else" he said, as if he could read her mind.

Mina nodded, but then shook her head. "No. If she did, then why has she constantly been tagging along with Aaron when we all go to see the penguins? I swear she knows something about me" she replied.

The small penguin asked, "What?"

She turned to him, met his eyes, and answered. "That's just the problem. I don't know. All I know is that whatever it is, it's something that even _I_ don't know about myself." **  
**


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2 _

Leah awoke that morning, groaning at the pain in her head. She had been staying with Faith and Mina at 'The Dormitory', since they had nowhere else to go. The Guardian had needed medical attention for the powerful electrical shocks she had received, and was still experiencing the pain, although it was much duller.

The black haired girl stood slowly from her simple bed, before noticing Faith out of the corner of her eye, standing not too far away. Her expression softened to one of concern. The half-breed's personality had changed slightly even since Iris was introduced.

Faith, noticing her watching, raised an eyebrow. "You okay?" she asked.

Leah nodded, "Yeah. I'm getting better" she answered. _I won't ask if she's alright. She'll just snap at me. _

The red head nodded, then watched as her friend snatched her Guardian Sword from the table, before flicking it to full size. She commented, "Hey, you shouldn't be using that when you're healing, remember? You won't be able to fight properly anyway."

She replied, glancing at her over her shoulder, "I can still fight." She raised an eyebrow, "Try me" she dared.

Faith snarled, although she knew it was a bad idea. As predicted, faster then it took to blink, Leah had her pinned to her bed, the sword pressed against her jaw. She smiled, "Still think I won't be able to fight?" she asked, playfully teasing.

The half-breed rolled her eyes with a smirk, "Yeah yeah show-off. Just let me up" she replied. Her friend did so, and they made their way into the elevator.

As soon as they arrived at the bottom floor and the elevator doors opened, Leah's eyes drifted to Mina. She was seated on one of the newly repaired chairs, still reading '_Twilight_'.

Her smile vanished when she glanced at Aaron, who sat on one of the other couches. Their eyes met for a few moments, before she ignored him. The two kisses they had shared had caused tension between them, but the second had been the most damaging.

But then again, it had been Leah's fault.

The Guardian, in her condition of severe injury, had, for no apparent reason, kissed him. Ever since then, she had avoided Aaron as much as possible, trying to wrap her head around why she had kissed him. In the end, the girl had blamed it on her state at the time.

Leah reluctantly went over to where he was, and seated herself beside him. She did not meet his eyes, or even speak to him. The black haired girl kept her eyes on Mina instead, and forced a smile.

The blonde vampire glanced up from her book, and said to her, "I must admit…Edward's hot."

Her friend raised an eyebrow, "Really?" she asked.

There was further silence, until Aaron asked, turning to her, "Are you healing okay?"

Leah replied icily, still not looking at him, "Yeah."

The boy beside her sighed, "Look. Can we talk?" he asked.

She briefly met his gaze, "No. We have nothing to talk about" she replied heatedly.

"We _do_. You can't keep avoiding me, Leah! All I want to know is if that kiss meant anything!" answered Aaron, his irritation mounting.

Knowing which one he was referring to, the girl responded. "It meant nothing."

"But…" the boy started.

He was cut off by Leah. She locked eyes with him, hers reflecting an angry fire, "I. Don't. Want. You. Get that through your head" she growled.

Only slightly intimidated, he replied in the same tone. "I already told you, I don't have a choice. Even if you chained me down, it wouldn't help. We're naturally drawn to our mates."

Mina looked up from her book once again, "Stop it! Both of you! I'm sick of you acting like spoilt brats!" she snapped.

Aaron and Leah nodded. Leah, in her three years away, had forgotten how independent the vampire had become, and how she now preferred to fight her own battles rather than stay quiet.

All of a sudden, Iris's voice came from behind them, "Good morning everyone!" she greeted cheerily. The girl smiled, and, seeing that all the other spaces were full, chose to sit next to Faith, who was on another couch.

The half-breed smirked, looking at her briefly, "Hey" she said.

"Hey" replied Iris, nonchalantly. She cleared her throat as she got comfortable, "So," she asked, "What have I missed so far?"

Mina waved a hand at Leah and Aaron, "These two have been arguing…again."

Iris nodded, and then shot an ice cold glare at her brother. She hissed furiously, "At least try to get along with her."

Aaron nodded, waving a hand dismissively, "Sure sure" he answered.

Iris growled, narrowing her eyes, "Would you _listen_ for _once _in your life!?"

Her brother glowered at her, "Why should I listen to _you_?! You left me, and I was scared to death that Genevieve had got you!" he snapped.

She hissed through clenched teeth, "I didn't have a choice and you know it. I went to find Caroline, to see if she was alright."

Leah suddenly stood from her seat, and dragged Iris by the arm into the next room. Slamming the door shut, she turned to the petite girl.

The Guardian's voice lowered to a dangerous tone as she stepped forward, backing Iris against a wall. "I'm not sure how things work with you and your brother, but Faith, Mina and I don't say that name…ever" she growled.

"I-I'm sorry" Iris stammered in fear.

"Damn right you are" replied Leah. She clasped a hand around the other girl's throat, "Listen, and listen carefully. You don't _ever_ say that name again, understand?" she snarled.

"O-Okay" the smaller girl replied. Leah realeased her, and turned, walking towards the door.

Iris asked tentatively, "But…but _is_ she alright? Do you know?"

Leah stopped in her tracks. She answered, not turning around, "No, she's not alright."

"What's wrong with her?" the other girl asked.

The Guardian sighed, "She," she took a deep breath, "She's dead."

The smaller of them questioned softly, "How do you know her?"

Leah replied, glancing at her over her shoulder, "You know very well who she is. She's Mina's mum."

"How…how do you know she's dead?" asked Iris, hoping she was not sure.

Leah sighed once more. She gripped the doorknob so tightly her knuckles turned white. She replied, her body tense,

"Because I was there when Faith killed her."


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you Mikadaphne28 for the two lovely reviews! **

**Remember my warning about updates. **

**Enjoy this chapter and sorry for the shortness of it! **

….

_Chapter 3 _

Meanwhile, the penguins were lounging in small deck chairs on their ice-flow, grateful for the day of rest. The zoo was closed, which meant that the animals were free do to as they pleased, and Skipper had dismissed his team from training, since he agreed that they needed a break.

The leader, wearing his sunglasses, reclined on the chair with a groan. He smiled, "I must admit, I was a little hesitant to give you boys a break at first, but this is just want we needed" he said.

Kowalski nodded, "Exceptionally so, sir" he answered. Rico simply babbled pleasantly in agreement.

Private, who was only able to be outside because he held a large, gothic, penguin-sized umbrella over him, agreed

All of a sudden, Marlene jumped into the habitat, "Hi guys!" she said cheerily.

Skipper glanced at her over his sunglasses, "Hey there dollface" he replied with a wink.

She giggled, blushing, before turning to Private. She gave a confused look, "Aren't you, you know, not allowed in the sun?" she asked, perplexed. The otter had only just gotten used to the small penguin's new state.

He smiled, "This is what Mina said she does when she has to go out into the sun, and she said that it would work for me to, if I could get an umbrella that was small enough" he explained.

Kowalski continued, "Fortunately, my shrink ray is still fully operational."

Marlene nodded, "Well, I just came to see how you guys are doing. I'll see you later" she said, before leaping out of the habitat.

Suddenly, King Julian appeared on the ice. "Hello silly penguins!" he said. The lemur noticed a bucket of food lying next to Skipper, and picked it up. He sorted through it, throwing the contents into the lead penguin's face as he did so. "Smelly fish, smelly fish, smelly fish, more smelly fish…"

Private, growing tired of him, knew what he had to do. He asked politely, "Julian?"

The Ring-Tailed lemur looked at him, "Yes?" he asked.

The small penguin took a deep breath, and then bared his fangs and made his blood red eyes glow slightly. As he did so, an animalistic growl came from deep in his chest.

Julian screamed, ears flat against his head, and then fainted. He had never gotten used to Private being a vampire, and often fainted when forced to see his fangs and new eyes.

Skipper laughed, while the small penguin relaxed, willing his eyes to cease their glowing, and closed his beak.

In between laughter, his superior said, "Let's….g-get him back to….his own habitat b-boys."

Kowalski did so, before returning to his friends. The scientist had only just sat back down in his chair, when Faith's voice came from not too far away, "Guys!" she called softly.

The half-breed ran over, and explained, "I need your help. Iris knows something about Mina, and she even knows her mum. I want to know what's going on. I feel like Mina's keeping something from me, but I don't know what."

As if on cue, the voice of the vampire came from behind her, "FAITH!" she screamed. Mina ran over at her vampire speed, tackling her best friend to the ground. The blonde's red eyes glowed from anger, and she snarled, "You _killed_ her! You killed her and you didn't even tell me!" she cried.

Faith froze, "I…I had to" she whispered.

"Liar" Mina hissed in reply.

Private inquired, "What's all this about?"

The vampire replied, not taking her eyes off the half-breed. "This _fucking bitch_ killed my mum" she snarled.

All of the penguins gasped. Some of the reactions were at the accusation, but most were at Mina's language. She had _never_ spoken to Faith like that before.

The half-breed kept her voice to a whisper, pleading, "I swear…I had no choice."

The blonde vampire suddenly slapped her hard on the cheek, "Why did you do it? Why?" she demanded.

All of a sudden, Iris ran up to them, "Stop it! Stop!" she called frantically.

The vampire and half-breed did so, and both stood and turned to her. Iris stopped in front of them, and begged, "Mina, you've got to believe her. It wasn't her fault."

The blonde spat, "Who's was it? Yours? Is that why you've been so weird around me?"

She replied, "No. Faith was just trying to protect you, I promise. I was there too."

Mina scoffed, "So you _both_ killed her?" she asked, enraged.

Iris objected, growing annoyed, "No! We were trying to save you!"

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean!" the vampire roared, fists clenched.

"We were doing our duty, and you should be thankful. Without Faith and I, you'd be long dead" Iris growled.

Faith, meanwhile, remained silent. She could still hear her friend's petrified scream, could still see the bloody dagger, could still see Iris lying limp on the floor, could still see her best friend's mother with a dangerous darkness in her eyes, and she could still taste Caroline's blood in her mouth.

With a shake of her head, she cleared the memories. There was no use remembering, because it was done. It was all done.

However, as she looked at Mina's face, heartbroken and betrayed, the half-breed couldn't help but wonder.

_Was doing my duty worth it? _


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter 4 _

Mina ran, not looking back. She blinked back the tears that streamed down her face, her mind whirling. _Faith….killed my mother. She killed her…and won't even tell me why. _The blonde vampire continued to run at her super speed, not caring where she went, as long as it was away from the zoo.

The teenager scoffed, "I need to get away from my so-called _best friend_." Images of her mother raced through her mind, each making her sob more than the last. Mina had never loved her mother like other little girls, because she had never loved her in return. The vampire's mother, for some reason, had loathed her from her birth.

However, she was still her mother.

Mina came to a stop when she reached an abandoned building, and let herself inside. She shut the door and, lowering her gothic umbrella, took a moment to observe her surroundings. Guided by what she could hear and smell, the young vampire realised quickly that the building was in Manhattan.

The walls and floors were dark, and the most of the windows were shut completely. There were only small slivers of sunlight shinning through small cracks. A small smile tugged at her lips, "This place is perfect" she muttered.

Mina, finding a corner with no sunlight, sank to the ground. She pulled her legs up, and rested her head in her knees, sobbing. The blonde slammed her eyes shut, wanting to make herself disappear.

_Why? Why did she do it? Iris said it they were 'doing their duty'. What the hell did that mean? _The vampire continued to cry, wetting the material of her denim jeans.

All of a sudden, a knock came at the door. She ignored it for as long as possible, but it continued. She muttered, not lifting her head, "Go away."

None the less, the door opened slightly, causing a small amount of sunlight to flood in. Although it did not reach her, Mina cringed and shuddered, unfortunate memories returning.

Fortunately, the sunlight disappeared soon after, and she heard footsteps go in her direction. The blonde sniffed and, recognizing the scent, snarled, "I said go away, Iris."

The petite girl moved closer timidly, and carefully sat beside her. She said, not meeting her eyes, "I know you're mad at me. Look, if you just let me explain…"

Mina snapped her head up. She locked eyes with Iris, her own glowing in the darkness, "You'd do what? Tell lies to me? That's what Faith did!" she sneered.

Iris grew nervous, stumbling over her words, "A-Allow me to explain," she took a deep breath to calm herself, "This is going to be a shock, Mistr…I mean, Mina."

The vampire sighed, "Fine. I'll listen" she said reluctantly.

The petite girl sighed, and then asked, "What do you know about your mother?"

"I…I know that she was pretty secretive, and seemed to always think of me as some kind of inconvenience. When I got older and I started asking for information about her, just because I was curious, she would always give me very vague replies, and then snap at me when I asked for a little more detail" Mina replied.

Iris nodded, and then questioned, "What about your father?"

The blonde vampire sighed, and answered. "I didn't really have that much to do with him. He was nice, and funny, and much more caring then Mum. He sort of….disappeared a few eight years after I was born. When I asked Mum why he disappeared, she just gave me the usual vague answer of 'I don't know." Mina asked somewhat angrily, "Why are you asking me this? What gives you the right to intrude on my life?"

Iris replied coolly, "Because I was involved in more of your life then you can obviously remember."

The vampire held a hand to her head, "What do you mean? What did you and Faith mean by 'doing your duty'? What the hell is all of this about?" she questioned, irritated.

All of a sudden, the windows burst open as well as the door, letting sunlight fill the room. Mina screamed in pain when it hit her, forcing more tears from her eyes.

All of a sudden, the agony of the sunlight vanished. Curious, Mina opened her eyes, and saw Iris leaning over her, her Nettle wings spread to create shade for her.

The blonde vampire whispered in surprise, "You don't have to protect me, you know."

Iris replied, "Yeah, I kind of do. Not only do I _not_ want to see anyone burn, but it's also my job." Mina did not have time to think about that statement, before she spoke again, "I have to get you out of the sun" she said.

Iris then thrust her hands towards the windows, causing them to slam shut. She did the same with the door, and the same reaction occurred. The petite Nettle leaned away, retracting her wings and making them vanish.

Mina stammered, red eyes wide, "H-How did you do that?"

She responded with a shrug. "Some Nettles have magic. I have power over wind, so I can easily close stuff like windows and doors without having to touch them." The blonde vampire nodded, and Iris continued, "I should take you back to the zoo. Faith will be worried about you."

Mina stood reluctantly with a sigh, "Fine" she grumbled, "But I'll need my umbrella."

Meanwhile, Leah and Aaron were sitting on a bench inside the zoo, each worried about Mina. The boy growled, "I can't believe you told her."

The Guardian snarled, "What was I supposed to do? Let something like that go unsaid forever?"

"Yes" her companion replied tersely.

Leah went to make a reply, but suddenly could not. Her expression softened, and she sighed. "I'm so worried about her" she whispered.

Aaron turned to her, eyes sympathetic and kind, "I know. I…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that" he apologized.

She pushed a strand of long black hair from her eyes, "It…it's okay" she answered.

They fell into silence, before Aaron spoke. He turned to her, taking her hands in his own, "Look. I know you don't feel the same way, but…"

Suddenly, Mina's voice came from behind them, "Hi guys" she said shyly.

Leah remained where she was, transfixed by Aaron's eyes momentarily, before events rushed back to her. She stood, and hugged her vampire friend, before realising her.

Faith timidly walked towards Mina, her eyes glistening with unshed tears, "I'm sorry" she whispered.

The blonde smiled softly, "It's alright. I just want to know what all this about" she replied.

There was silence for a while, until Faith said with a heavy sigh. "You…you weren't born a commoner."

Mina raised an eyebrow, "Huh?" she asked.

The half-breed continued, "Okay. First, your mother was trying to kill you when I killed her, and second," she took a deep breath, "Your mother was a Blue Blood vampire…which, as you know, is one of the most royal vampire breeds in the world. Your mother was the noble, and you…"

Mina whispered, "No. That's impossible."

Faith looked at her, "I'm sorry. I should have told you a long time ago" she apologized. The half-breed continued, squeezing her best friend's hand, "You, Mina, are a Blue Blood. Not only that…you're a Blue Blood Princess."

…

**Oh. My. God **

**Please review everyone! Keep in mind that the next chapter will take awhile. Please be patient, and understand that my Mum says that school has to be my first priority over my writing. **

**Oh, and by the way, I'm auditioning for my school talent show on Wednesday! ** **I'm going to be singing** **a duet with my best friend! **

**Wish me luck, **

**-Babetteisawesome. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello! Sorry for the big delay in updates, but I've had writer's block. But, to make up for it, I will be writing and posting two chapters tonight! I am also sorry, once again, for the shortness of the chapter. **

**Enjoy!**

…

_Chapter 5 _

Mina stared at her friends in shock, feeling her mouth go dry. She stammered, "Wh-What do you m-mean? This h-has to be some kind of trick, right?"

No one answered.

The blonde curled a fist of hair in her hands, "No. Just no. There's no way this is possible" she whispered.

Faith put a hand on her shoulder in comfort, "I know it's a lot to take in. I wanted to tell you sooner, but I thought that the longer I kept this from you, the safer you'd be" she replied.

Leah stood from her place, "Yeah, we were just trying to keep you from getting hurt" she added.

The vampire nodded, understanding. A thought crossed her mind, and she inquired, turning to her best friend "So, what are you, Leah and Iris? My servants or something?"

She answered, "Yeah…in a sense. We're part of your Royal Protection. It's our job to…well…protect you. If you're in danger, we have to throw ourselves in front of you."

Mina asked, concerned, "Isn't that dangerous for you?"

Faith responded, "We have no choice. It's…sort of an impulse. Something we can't help."

Aaron scoffed and glanced at Leah, "Hear that? Something you can't help and don't have a choice in? Imagine if the person that was directed to was no help to the situation" he growled.

The girl did not respond. She knew he was referring to the fact that she was his mate, and she had not been entirely nice about it. _When he says it that way…I can kind of see what he's going through. _

All of a sudden, Private spoke up. He turned to Mina, red eyes wide in shock, "You…you're a Princess?" he asked.

She shrugged, "Guess so" she answered. The vampire turned to Iris, "Is that why you asked me about my Mum and Dad?" she asked.

"Yeah" she answered.

Mina asked, "What about my Dad? How was he involved in this?"

Leah responded, "Your Dad was actually a servant of your Mum."

The blonde said slowly, piecing it together. "That's why she never loved me…I… I was an inconvenience to her. A servant and a noble aren't allowed to marry…let alone have a child."

Faith's expression softened, "I'm so sorry" she whispered.

Mina shook her head. "It's not your fault" she objected. There was nothing but silence for a few moments, before the vampire spoke again. Her gaze flickered between her friends, before she asked carefully, "What…what happened when my mother died?"

Faith sighed, "I suppose I should explain," she slammed her eyes shut and winced, "Because I was responsible" she replied.

_Mina's shrill cry split the silence of the night. Faith, who had been sleeping nearby, burst into the ballroom in her Death-Wolf form. She snapped her jaws, strings of saliva coming from her jaws as she narrowed her now golden eyes. _

_She glanced to her right, and saw Leah come running in beside her. She wore the bronze metal plates on her arms, and clutched a sword in one hand. The Guardian's body tensed, ready to fight at any second. "Let her go!" she commanded. _

_Faith looked back at Mina, lying in her bed and thrashing. She growled low, and glowered at the figure holding the young vampire down. _

_The figure then straightened, and the half-breed could not resist a gasp. Although she refused to believe it, Mina's attacker…was the vampire princess's own mother, Caroline. _

_She turned to them, and laughed wickedly, "It's about time you got here" she said. _

_All of a sudden, Iris lunged at her, tackling her to the ground. She clasped a hand around her throat, "Traitor!" she cried. _

_Leah and Faith raced towards bed, the Guardian grabbing Mina in her arms. She looked down at her, "You okay?" she asked breathlessly. _

_"Y-Yes" responded the vampire timidly. _

_"Good" Leah replied. Without hesitation, she quickly and carefully took Mina far away from the room, where she would be safe. _

_Iris, meanwhile, was still clawing and slapping Caroline as the two struggled. What she failed to see, unfortunately, was the dagger in the older woman's dress pocket. _

_Faster then it took to blink, the dagger was in the Blue Blood's hand, and through Iris's chest. The Nettle girl let out a strangled cry, before rolling off Caroline, and onto the ground. She was alive, but seriously injured and her breathing was laboured. _

_Faith had no time to think. She simply acted, seeing only red. _

_With a snarl, she attacked Caroline, pinning her to the ground. She growled, snapped her jaws, and then did something unthinkable. _

_She slashed the Blue Blood's neck with her claws. _

Mina, after hearing the story, could only stare in shock. She asked, "Okay, so, when did all this happen?"

Faith replied, "A few months before you arrived at the orphanage."

The blonde vampire's eyes widened. "You killed my mother when you were _nine_?" she questioned in disbelief.

The half-breed nodded. "Yeah. After I killed your mother, Leah, Iris and I were dismissed from our duty, and I ended up back at the orphanage that had always been my home anyway, Iris went back to Aaron, and Leah went back to her parents" she explained.

Mina suddenly stood still, feeling cold. "That means only one thing," she whispered, "That means…that the woman who dropped me off at the orphanage…wasn't my mother."

Leah replied, "No. No she wasn't."

…

**I wonder who it was? **

**Please review everyone. I enjoy reading your reviews. **

**Bye for now, **

**-Babetteisawesome. **

**P.S: My friend and I got into our school talent show! Yay! **


	6. Chapter 6

**Thankyou Mikadaphne28 for your lovely reviews! **

…..

_Chapter 6 _

Mina asked, throat suddenly dry, "Who was she?"

Aaron, standing, replied, "I don't know…but I know someone who does."

The girls turned to him, "Who?" they asked in unison.

He replied, "You'll find out once I take you to him. Only Mina and Faith can come with me, because I think they'll enjoy this the most."

The vampire looked at her best friend, who nodded. She turned back to the Nettle boy, and responded, "Where are we going?"

"You'll find out soon. Just come with me" he answered.

They drove in silence for what felt like hours. Mina and Faith sat in the back of the car, and kept looking out the window to try and guess where they were going. Both, however, were stumped.

Faith asked, glancing at Aaron, "You really won't tell us where we're going?"

"Nope" he replied, before adding, "But I think you'll be able to guess in a minute."

He turned a corner, and, curious, Mina and Faith both looked out the window. The landscape seemed normal enough, but its trees were slightly bared and crooked.

Their hearts stopped.

Faith whispered, "No."

Mina replied in the same tone, "Yep." Both girls continued to stare at the landscape in complete shock, neither daring to believe where they were. The blonde vampire felt herself go stiff. _How does Aaron know how to get here? _

Faith, as if she could read her mind, replied, "It's kind of creepy."

Their attention was caught when Aaron drove the car through the tall iron gates of a certain house, stopping it at the closed gates. After getting out of the car to open them, Faith and Mina stared at each other, both unable to speak.

Aaron got back into the car, drove through the gates, and then looked at the two girls. He smiled, "You two know where we are, don't you" he said knowingly. He could tell by the looks on their faces.

They nodded, and immediately got out of the car with him. However, unlike Aaron, Mina and Faith did not go right to the door. Instead, they stayed and observed the restoration that had been done. It still looked like the horror-movie mansion that they both remembered, but it had been repainted and cleaned mercilessly.

Aaron knocked on the door, and it opened instantly. A young man stood on the other side. He looked in his early-twenties, with short brown hair and dark brown eyes. He asked, clearly confused, "Yes?"

Mina answered, her and Faith coming up behind Aaron. "We need to speak to someone"

The young man raised an eyebrow, "Who?" he questioned.

"James" answered Aaron simply.

The man at the door nodded, "Oh, why didn't you say so? Come on in" he said, leading them inside and closing the door.

The girls and Aaron followed him into the study, and Aaron inquired, "Didn't this place use to be an orphanage?"

The young man nodded, "Yep," he opened the study door, walked in, and spoke to someone. "Dad, there's some people here to see you."

Aaron walked in first, and then bowed politely. From outside, Mina and Faith heard the mysterious 'James' laugh kindly, "Aaron. What a pleasant surprise" he said.

Next, the girls walked in together. They suddenly felt shy as they entered the study, and, with nowhere to hide, simply stared at the man in front of them. He sat on a chair, a fireplace behind him. He was tall and slim, with pale skin. He ran a hand through his short jet black hair, "Good heavens, it's been a while since I've seen you two" he said.

Mina studied the man, a little confused. Have_ I seen him before? He looks a little familiar. _She looked him over, unable to connect him with any memories. She glanced at Faith, who had a similar look of confusion on her face.

James, seeming dejected, asked, "You don't remember me?"

"No, sorry sir" they replied in unison.

The man smiled, "Well, then perhaps your memories need to be returned," he curled his finger, "Come here, if you please."

Nervously, Mina and Faith edged closer. The man took one of each of their hands, and placed a gentle kiss on Faith's, then on Mina's. He gazed at both of them adoringly, "Dear Mina, sweet Faith, do you remember me now?" he questioned softly.

They were about to reply, when something happened. Their eyes locked with the man's.

Mina drew in a breath. She saw his kind, dark blue eyes, that seemed to look at her with sympathy…and something clicked. She had seen those eyes before, a long time ago.

Faith simply stared in surprise, a small smile creeping on her face. She knew him now. Those eyes gave him away.

She and Mina stammered in shock at the same time, "M-Mr. Crestwood!"

…

**Do you remember who he is? If you don't, don't worry, it'll be said in the next chapter. **

**PLEASE REVIEW EVERYONE! **

**Bye for now, **

**-Babetteisawesome. **


	7. Chapter 7

**A special thank you to Mikadaphne28 for her help with my writer's block! Sorry for the late chapter! **

…

_Chapter 7 _

Time seemed to stand still for a moment. Soon recovering from their shock, however, Faith and Mina ran to the man before them. Both embraced him like children would do to their father, squeezing him with adoration.

Small, happy tears appeared in his eyes as he held them in return. "My girls. My beautiful girls" he whispered.

Faith looked up at him, "We missed you so much" she said.

Mina asked, copying her action, "How did you get this place looking so much better? I mean, I thought most of it got destroyed in the fire."

"Well, only half was destroyed. It did take a lot of work to restore the entire mansion. Sadly, it's not an orphanage anymore, because people are worried, ever since the fire, about the safety of the children that they leave here" explained the older man.

There was silence for a while, until the blonde vampire questioned, "Why did Aaron bring us here? He said that you knew who brought me to the orphanage that day."

Mr. Crestwood's expression turned completely serious. "The woman wasn't your mother. She was an Elite Shifter" he replied.

"Huh?" Faith and Mina questioned in unison.

He explained, "Now, you're probably wondering what Elite Shifers are. They, my dears, are the highest breed of Shifter. Unlike others, they have all of the powers of a normal one of their kind, but they can also change forms. They cannot only change their appearance, but also their species. For example, a human Elite Shifter could change itself into an animal, and vice versa."

Then, James stood from his chair, and walked over to the bookshelf lining the right wall. Selecting a thick book, he answered, taking it from the shelf, "It's all in here." He walked back over, sat down, and placed the book on his lap, "This, I figured out a few years ago, is the reason for the fire. Someone wanted this book so badly…"

Mina interrupted softly, "They wanted it so badly that they'd burn the orphanage down to find it."

James nodded solemnly, "Yes," he swiftly flipped the pages as if he had read it a thousand times, and came to a stop on a particular page, "This is the chapter they were after. Oh, first, let me explain. This is a book on supernatural history. Anything about the supernatural, the powers we have, to the covens we have, is all in here" he said.

Faith asked, "Someone wanted to steal that?"

James nodded once again. He drew in a breath, and then looked at Mina, locking eyes with her, "This chapter, dear Mina, is," he sighed, "Is about your family" he explained.

She froze. "My…my family?" she asked.

The man passed her the book, "You are free to have a look at it" he said.

Mina stammered, "W-Why do you have this?"

The ex-orphanage owner did not answer. Instead, he said, "I suggest you have a good read of that book, girls. It will be very helpful to you." All of a sudden, James's body tensed, and he let out on animalistic growl.

Faith looked at him, "What?" she asked.

He snarled, "We have an unwanted visitor."

Aaron, who had quietly remained positioned behind Mina and Faith, tensed. He asked in a hushed tone, "What is it?"

James replied, "An Elite Shifter…an animal."

As if on cue, a smooth male voice called out tauntingly, "Well, aren't _you_ a genius." A crimson red lemur stepped from his hiding place, smirking malevolently, his aqua eyes fixed entirely on Mina.

The blonde vampire growled, irises glowing red, "What do you want?"

The strange lemur laughed, "What do I want? Simple," his eyes narrowed, "I want that book" he answered. Without hesitation, the lemur leapt towards James, who immediately turned away, facing his back to the approaching creature.

The Elite Shifter landed on Mr. Crestwood's back perfectly. His eyes flashed, "You shouldn't have done that" he hissed.

Thinking only of protecting the man, Faith ran at the lemur. She swiped it off his back and snarled, watching it as it tumbled to the ground, "Stay away from him."

The crimson lemur stood and smirked, "I'm afraid I can't do that" he replied.

All of a sudden, Skipper's voice came from behind him. "You gonna have to, Clemson" he retorted.

At the familiar voice, Clemson whirled around. Seeing Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private team before him, he simply raised his eyebrows. "You can't touch me," he glanced at Mina, and then back to the penguins, "Because if you try, then you'll regret it" he threatened.

Private's eyes glowed with anger. He sneered, fangs bared, "Touch her, and you won't get to see the morning." Everyone turned to him, in shock from his harsh use of words. The vampire penguin's gaze had focused on Clemson, however.

The lemur could not hold back a small gasp, fear forcing him to take in the small penguin's new appearance. His eyes widened as he felt himself quiver with fright. _She didn't tell me about this! If I'd had known… _

His thoughts were interrupted when the lemur was suddenly tackled heavily to the ground. Slightly winded, he looked, half-lidded, up at his attacker. Private had pinned him down, staring straight into his eyes in fury.

A flipper being clasped around his throat was his next shock. Clemson, gasping for breath, pleaded, "D-Don't kill m-me. I…I'm only d-doing this because she t-told me t-to."

The grip around his neck tightened as Private demanded with a snarl, "Who?"

Clemson hesitated, his mind swirling. _I promised I wouldn't tell. _His mind argued back, _He'll kill you if you don't_. This was followed quickly by an opposing; _You can force him to let you go. Blind him. Everyone knows vampires hate too much light_. The latter idea soon gained dominance. The crimson lemur smiled wickedly, and, within seconds, blinded the vampire penguin with a burst of white light.

Private hissed in annoyance, instinctively covering his eyes with his flippers. When the light behind his eyelids disappeared, the vampire snapped his eyes open, only to find that Clemson had disappeared. He groaned, slapping a flipper to his forehead. _Idiot! _

Private stood, before waddling over to his team, head somewhat bowed in slight shame. "I let him get away" he muttered.

Skipper placed a flipper on his back, "But you frightened the shit out of him! He won't be messing with Mina anytime soon" he replied, smirking with slight pride.

The youngest penguin looked up at him, and smiled, "I did, didn't I" he said.

Meanwhile, Clemson, who had teleported himself out of danger, reappeared in a dimly lit hallway. He sighed, brushing dirt from his fur, "Well, that didn't go very well" he muttered to himself.

An icy female voice came from in front of him, "I couldn't have said it better myself."

The crimson lemur froze in panic. _No no no! I didn't want to end up having to see her! _Swallowing hard, he turned, reluctantly meeting the glowing silver eyes of his employer. Fortunately, she was locked behind the metal barred door of her cell.

Looking around, he realised where he was. The Immortal Prisons.

He turned back to the High Shifter in her cell. He clenched his fists and bit out angrily, "You could have told me about the small penguin."

She gave a short, bitter laugh, making sure to show her sharp teeth in the process. She replied, venom in her voice, "He is nothing. I would have thought that, being someone a rank above myself, you could have taken care of him."

Clemson could not hide the nervous waver in his tone. "H-He surprised me" he defended, slowly backing away.

She let out a low growl. Then, unexpectedly, she lunged from her place like a furious wild dog, snarling. But, the long chains that went from her wrists to the wall, yanked her backwards slightly. Her eyes glowed brighter, "You fucking _idiot_! I knew it was a mistake hiring you! You couldn't even get that damn _book _for me!" she roared, enraged.

The lemur, now terrified, was shaking as he responded, clumsily trying to apologise, "I…I…he…"

"Save it" her employer hissed.

Clemson, testing his luck, grinned nervously. He asked cautiously, "Do…do I still get paid?"

The fox snorted, "Paid?" she asked quietly. Seconds later, her voice rose to a yell of rage, "_PAID_? DO YOU _HONESTLY_ THINK I WOULD PAY YOU FOR _THAT_!"

The lemur rapidly shook his head, true fear following through his body. "N-No. Forget I even said it" he answered hastily. _Fuck! I really pushed it there. I'm lucky she hasn't electrified me or something. _Sensing she had calmed down slightly, Clemson clasped his paws together. "Well, I…I'm afraid I have to go now. It's always a pleasure doing business with you" he said.

She growled, "Fine. Just get out of my sight before I decide to kill you."

The lemur gave her a quick nod. He answered before hastily disappearing into white light. "I see. Well, I hope to see you at your full strength soon, Genevieve."

Once he had gone, the fox smirked darkly and whispered. "Don't worry Clemson, you will. Very…_very_ soon."

…

**Cliffhanger! Oh no, Genie's back! **

**As always, leave a review guys! **

**Bye for now, **

**-Babetteisawesome. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you to Mikadaphne28 for the review!**

**I would also like to thank the makers of the song "Vampire", which helped me write this chapter. **

**Oh, and this chapter contains Prina! **

...

_Chapter 8_

Mina collapsed onto her bed in 'The Dormitory' that night, her mind working so fast it gave her a headache. One question alone nagged at her brain. _Who would want that book so badly that they would burn down half the orphanage to find it? _

The blonde vampire's gaze shifted to the thick book on her bedside table. Rolling over onto her side, she picked it up, sitting upwards and placing it in her lap. Her hands trembled slightly as she opened the pages. She swallowed hard. _I…I have to see what's in here about my family. _

With still shaking hands, Mina turned the chapter about her family, which Mr. Crestwood had bookmarked for her. As her eyes scanned each word with care, the young vampire discovered that most of the information was what she already knew. Her mother, Caroline, was royalty, and her father, Richard, was a 'commoner'.

All of a sudden, her red eyes were drawn to one name in particular…her name. Biting her lip with one fang, Mina looked at the paragraph. Once again, most of it was what she already knew. However, her shaking increased when the blonde reached one part. If her heart had still been beating, it would have been pounding in her chest.

She froze, and whispered, "No." Mina shook her head, "It…it's impossible" she murmured. However, the vampire knew that the words did not lie.

Slamming the book closed, she placed it on her bed. Getting up, Mina paced her room, running a hand through her hair. _It can't be true. _But, the more she thought about it…the more it made sense.

Growling in frustration, the vampire headed towards the balcony. Thrusting the curtains apart and shoving open the glass door, Mina walked out onto the small balcony, placing her hands on the iron railing. She closed her eyes. _I need a distraction. I need to hunt. I'll think better afterwards. _

With a deep breath, she let any feelings of compassion and guilt shut down. The little vampire let out an animalistic growl from deep within her chest.

All of a sudden, Private's voice came from behind her, "M-Mina?" he asked timidly.

Her eyes, glowing in the darkness, snapped open. She whirled around to him, "Yes?" she snarled. Then, her kindness and compassion returned in a rush, causing her to place a hand on her head in slight pain.

The vampire penguin replied, the state of his eyes matching her own, "I…I just wanted to see if you were alright."

"No. No I'm not" she answered, sighing.

Private stepped into the light, where she could see him. He looked up at her, "What the matter?" he asked.

The vampire shook her head, "It…it's nothing, really." Changing the subject, she asked, "Where are the rest of the guys? Aren't you all sort of always together?"

The small penguin answered. "They're on their way here, but for a different reason."

Mina stepped closer, "Well, what reason are _you_ here?" she questioned.

He glanced at the ground, suddenly feeling shy. "I…I'm here to say…" he trailed off, unable to finish. _Oh, I can't do it. Besides, it'll never happen. She's a human vampire, and I'm a penguin vampire. She'll think I'm some kind of weirdo. _Private clenched his flippers. _Stop it, _another part of his mind argued back, _You're just being weak. Who cares if she thinks you're a weirdo. _

The blonde knelt down beside him, "Private," she asked, "What's wrong with you?"

With as much courage as he could gather, the vampire penguin locked her eyes with his and said, "I think…I think I love you."

Mina remained still, simply staring at him. It seemed like an eternity before she spoke again. "Private" she whispered.

His expression became one of sadness. _Now look what you've done, _a part of him scolded, _She'll hate you now. _

However, the blonde vampire continued, smiling. "I…I think I love you as well."

Private replied softly, trying to hide his own smile, "We can't be together. We're different species."

Mina answered. "Actually, we _can_ be together." When given a confused look by the small penguin, she explained. "When I turned you, I gave you a special ability. As well as your other vampire powers, you can also change into a human. It's like Faith and the way she can phase into a Death-Wolf. You can do it at your will, and for as long as you want, but you don't have to stay like that."

Private nodded. "Okay. Can…can I try now?" he asked.

Mina nodded, "Yeah. Just close your eyes and picture what you think you would look like as a human" she instructed.

He did so, and after a few moments, a white light filled the room. Mina hissed in annoyance, covering her eyes. When she opened them again, the blonde vampire gasped.

Private stood there…as a human. He did not look very different from his form as an animal. He was slightly shorter then her, wearing a black and white outfit, and he had a boyishly handsome face and jet black hair. His eyes were blood red, like they were in his penguin form.

Private smiled timidly, "Do…do I look okay?" he asked.

Mina nodded. "Yeah," she glanced shyly at the ground, "Look. There's…there's something I want to do" she answered.

The vampire asked, "What?"

She stepped closer, thinning the space between them. "Well, um…" she trailed off. _C'mon, just do it already! Actions speak louder than words. _With that in mind, the blonde's courage returned.

With as much passion as she could muster…she pressed a kiss to his lips, wrapping her arms around his head and shoulders.

Their moment of bliss, sadly, was broken far too soon. Skipper, Kowalski and Rico burst into the room. Mina, sensing them, broke her kiss with Private immediately. Turning to them, the blonde vampire smiled nervously, "H-Hi guys" she said.

After recovering from the shock of what he had seen only seconds of, Skipper cleared his throat. "Kowalski knows who Clemson was working for" he said.

The scientist waddled closer, and produced a small tape recorder. "I attached a mini tape recorder to Clemson's back before he escaped, so that we could hear what he and his employer were saying."

Mina urged, "Well? Who was she?"

Skipper replied, "It's Genevieve."

The blonde vampire sucked in a breath, and questioned softly, "Does Leah know?"

Skipper nodded, and then waddled over to the door. Opening it, he said, "And she's not too happy about it. Listen for yourself."

As if on cue, the Guardian's enraged voice screamed from not too far away, "Shit! That little damn bitch daughter of a slut!"

Kowalski winced, and then muttered, "And that's not the worst thing she's called her."

All of a sudden, Faith walked into the room, in her Death-Wolf form. She glanced at Mina, and then jerked her head to behind herself.

Curious, the vampire looked to where she gestured, and froze. Two adult male vampires stood there, flanked by three Death-Wolves. But, it was clear that they were hybrids, like Faith.

Mina asked, her throat tightening from fear, "Yes? Can I help you?"

One of the vampires, who had electric blue eyes, answered. "You need to come with us, Princess Mina." He looked down at Faith, "_She _insisted on escorting us up here, because Leah was, in her words 'too pissed off to deal with us', and Iris was asleep."

Faith growled low at him, the animosity between them obvious.

Mina swallowed, nodding. "Okay."


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you once again Mikadaphne28 for the review! **

**Warning: This chapter is long. **

…

_Chapter 9 _

Swallowing her nervousness, the blonde vampire followed the mysterious group, accompanied by Faith. The two tall male vampires at the front did not speak to her, or even look at her, and the three Death-Wolf hybrids did the same. Only Faith, who walked beside her, acknowledged her in any way.

Mina whispered to her friend, "Do you know these guys?" the half-breed nodded, and the vampire continued, "Do you know where they're taking me?" Another nod answered her. Mina growled in annoyance, whishing that Faith could speak to her when in her Death-Wolf form.

There was silence for a short time, until one of the vampires at the front, spoke. "You don't need to be afraid, Princess Mina. We won't hurt you" he said, sympathy and kindness only just lacing his tone.

The vampire snarled angrily, "Why are you calling me 'Princess'? What's going on here?"

The male stopped and turned, fixing his electric blue eyes on her. He raised an eyebrow, "Really? You haven't been told?" he asked. He glanced at Faith with slight disgust, "Then again, I suppose that you've been stuck with a Beta" he continued.

The half-breed snarled in anger, letting out a single bark of rage. _Fucking prick! He's so full of himself. _

An older male voice sounded in her head. _Now Faith, Henry is just doing is job. Besides, he's never liked our kind anyway, you know that_.

The red haired hybrid turned to the Death-Wolf who had reprimanded her. He was a little way behind her. Faith glared, For_ God's sake._ _Do you really have to invade my privacy like that? _She had almost forgotten how Death-Wolves could speak to one another through thought. It was bloody annoying.

Mina, noticing her friend's distraction, asked, "Who's he? Was he, you know, 'talking' to you?"

Faith turned back to her and shrugged. The blonde vampire sighed. _I wish the 'thought speaking' thing would go two ways. _

All of a sudden, the vampire beside the one with blue eyes, spoke. "Is everything okay back there, Prin…I mean, Mina?"

She smiled, "Yes, thank you" she replied. At least _he_ was not so rude, and actually called her by her name.

"I'm Christopher, by the way" he continued.

All of a sudden, Leah's voice came from beside her. She sighed, "Alright, what do you guys want?" she hissed.

The blue-eyed vampire, Henry, turned to her. He crossed his arms, "Leah, it's been a while," he raised an eyebrow, "Still as feisty as ever, I see" he replied.

Mina turned to see the Guardian standing there, her sheathed sword attached to a good-fitting belt. Leah narrowed her eyes, "Yeah? Well, try anything and I'll rip your damn arms off" she growled. She demanded, "Where are you taking Mina?"

Christopher replied, "The palace. She's been summoned."

Leah drew a breath, "Fine. I'm coming with you" she snapped.

Henry muttered tersely, "You and Iris have to, anyway."

As if on cue, Iris emerged seemingly from nowhere. Upon seeing the group, she asked, "What's going on? Were we summoned or something?" Faith gave a curt nod, and Iris immediately joined the vampires and Death-Wolves near Mina. Leah followed, doing the same.

The blonde vampire, meanwhile, gave everyone a confused look. "Um, excuse me, but what's this 'palace'?"

Leah turned to her, "The palace is where the rest of the Blue Bloods are. We've all been called to go there."

Mina nodded, now understanding. Then, sighing, she followed the even larger group of escorts.

Once outside 'The Dormitory', the blonde vampire noticed a very fancy looking car. She smiled. _Sweet! If that's what I always get to travel in, I could get used to this Princess stuff. _Faith, seeing her best friend's excitement, smiled as well.

Henry opened the back seat door, "You should go behind Christopher, Princess Mina. It's safer" he explained.

She shrugged, seeing his point, and got into the instructed seat. When the door shut softly behind her, the vampire glanced at the four Death-Wolves, who remained outside. "What about them?" she asked.

Christopher explained, getting into the driver's seat, "The Death-Wolves will run with the car. They insisted."

Mina nodded once again. All of a sudden, someone else got into the seat beside her, closing the door afterwards. Startled, she whirled around, but relaxed when she saw that it was only Skipper, Kowalski and Rico.

Skipper smiled, "We thought we'd ride in here with you, Princess."

Mina laughed kindly, "Guys, you don't have to keep calling me that" she responded. She asked curiously, her eyes filling with worry, "Where's Private? I didn't see him walk with the rest of us."

Kowalski replied, "You don't have to worry about him. I saw him run ahead with his vampire speed. I estimate that he'll be at the palace by now."

"How does he know where that is?" the blonde inquired.

Christopher answered, looking at her in the rear view mirror, "I told him. I figured you'd want to get your mate to safety as fast as possible." Mina nodded, taken aback by the term. However, she thought that, since they loved each other, the vampire would have to get used to people using the term of Private being her mate.

All of a sudden, a thought occurred to her. Mina asked, "Where are Leah and Iris?"

Henry replied, "The Angel-girl is flying above the car, and the Guardian is…"

"Riding on a Death-Wolf's back," interrupted Christopher, having seen something out of the corner of his eye.

Mina whirled around behind her, and looked out the back window of the car. Sure enough, a Death-Wolf that she recognised as Faith, was running on top of several buildings and along alleyways, keeping out of sight. On her back, Leah hung on for dear life, but seemed like she was enjoying herself at the same time.

Mina smiled. "I thought she'd so something like that" she muttered.

The vampire was unsure of exactly how much time had passed before the car stopped. But, from what she could tell, dawn had just broken. Mina looked to the penguins, who slept on the car seat beside her. Smiling gently, she gathered them in her arms and carried them out of the car with her.

Stepping out, the blonde gasped at the sight before her. They had stopped in front of an enormous palace, which was a large number of stories high, with beautiful white pillars and a few steps leading up to the grand wooden doorway. The palace was gorgeous beyond description, like one directly out of a fairy-tale.

Slowly, Mina walked up the steps, and asked Henry, who came up beside her, "How did you manage to hide this place in…well…modern society?"

He replied, "We use magic, your highness. A special kind of magic which makes things like buildings appear completely ordinary. Believe it or not, this palace actually looks like a hotel to mortals. They can go in and out of the palace, and even stay here, without ever knowing what it truly is."

The vampire nodded, and then asked, "Hey, do you mind just calling me Mina? It's kind of weird to be addressed as 'your highness' or 'Princess' all the time."

He nodded, "Of course Prin…I mean, of course Mina" he replied.

All of a sudden, Private's voice came from in front of them, "Mina!" he called.

She smiled when she saw him standing at the top of the stairs. _Thank God he's safe. _She also noticed that he had remained in his human form. _I wonder why? _

The blonde ran up to meet him, embracing him tightly, before releasing him. Suddenly, the vampire noticed something in his hands…the book that Mr. Crestwood had given her. She locked eyes with Private, and he explained, "You forgot it, so I picked it up for you and brought it here. That's why I'm still like this, because it's too big for me to carry as a penguin."

She nodded, "Thank you" she said, her voice barely above a whisper. Mina did not have the heart to tell him that she had left it behind on purpose. She did not have the heart to tell him about what she had read.

She did not have to, ether. _He_ had nothing to do with it…but Faith did.

All of a sudden, the voice of her best friend came from behind her, "Whoa! Nice place!" she exclaimed.

The vampire turned around, and felt herself shake. _I have to tell her. She needs to know. _Mina cleared her throat, "Faith, we need to talk" she said.

The half-breed looked at her and, seeing the expression of seriousness on her face, asked, her smirk vanishing, "What?"

Just as Mina was about to answer, Henry's voice came from behind her, "Come on, the King and Queen are expecting you" he said.

The vampire nodded, and walked inside the palace. Faith walked beside her, but she could not bring herself to look at her.

Once inside, Mina was greeted by the sight of four royal-looking vampires. She noticed that there was only one man in the group. One of the women stepped forward. She smiled sweetly, showing her fangs, "Ah, she is home at last. Mina Dranomic, the rightful third Blue Blood Princess. It's wonderful to see you again."

Mina curtsied low as best she could, suddenly feeling embarrassed. There she was, standing before the Blue Blood vampire Queen, who was dressed in elegant silk, while she was dressed in an old slightly torn nightdress and slippers.

The Queen continued, "I summoned you here to formally congratulate you on hiding so well," her gaze softened sympathetically, "Also to apologise for your sudden re-including in all of this, and for the incident with your mother all those years ago."

Mina nodded, saying nothing. She did not need to be reminded of what had happened, but she did not want to be rude. Sensing that the Queen would say nothing more, she turned to Faith, and took an unnecessary deep breath. _I should tell her now. _

The vampire stepped closer to her best friend, "Faith, look. There's…there's something I need to tell you. It's about your parents" she started.

The half-breed gasped, "What do you know about them?" she asked excitedly.

Mina did not smile back. Instead, she answered, "I...I can't exactly remember how this happened, but it did. Your," she sighed, "Your mother was a human, you know that. What you don't know is," she sighed, "Is that I killed her. One night, I" she broke down into tears, "I…I sunk my fangs into her and I drank from her. I knew what I was doing."

Her eyes, glossy from unshed tears, met that of her best friend, hoping for some kind of understanding.

However, as soon as she met her eyes, the vampire froze.

Faith glowered at her, giving her the coldest possible look of hatred. She shoved her away, and then phased. The half-breed, now in her Death-Wolf form, barked viciously at her, snarling. But instead of attacking, she ran in the opposite direction.

Mina called, "Faith! Faith come back!" while running after her.

But it was too late.

She was just in time to see the phased Death-Wolf disappear into the darkness.

…

**This isn't the last chapter guys. Chapter 10 will be very short, though. Just a little thing I felt like adding to make you want to read Book 4 even more. **

**Please review everyone! **

**See you really soon, **

**-Babetteisawesome. **


	10. Chapter 10

_Chapter 10 _

Meanwhile, in the Immortal Prisons, one of the guards was just finishing his patrols. He wandered the dimly lit halls lined with cells, before stopping at one in particular. The vampire grinned, before tapping the bars with his baton, "You still in there Genie? Oh wait, I don't have to ask, 'cause you're not going _anywhere_" he taunted.

A haunting, menacing female laugh was his response. This was followed by her voice. It was not hoarse and weak like it had been months before, but silky, seductive and cruel. "Oh, dear Jonathan, things aren't always as they seem."

The vampire tensed immediately, "What are you getting at, fox?" he snarled. _She's bluffing, surely. There's no way she could possibly get out. _

He got no verbal reply. Instead, the guard saw a flash of light flicker before his eyes. Then, the light in the evil fox's cell suddenly came on all on its own. The vampire went to unlock the cell door, "Alright, this has gone far enough, I'm coming in there" he warned.

"I don't think that would be a terribly good idea, Jonathan" the fox hissed back.

However, what he saw next froze him to the spot. The metal gloves which bound the fox's paws suddenly had cracks in them. The cracks were sparkling slivers of…lightning.

The vampire was about to interfere, when an explosion suddenly erupted from inside the cell. The guard was thrown backwards against a wall, his head hitting the cold stone. He gazed, petrified, at the figure lying in the cell floor. The gloves lay either side of her, completely torn as if they were fabric.

He watched in terror as the High Shifter stood and reefed on her chains. They came undone from the wall as easily as if they had been stuck there by tape. He was curious, however, as to why she did not free herself completely.

He growled, standing, "Give it a rest Genevieve. You're not getting out of here. I've already sounded the alarm" he said. As if on cue, guards rushed in from all different locations, their various weapons all aimed at Genevieve.

Then, time seemed to slow as he observed the scene that unfolded.

The fox simply stood there, hood pulled back from her blood red cloak, and smiled. "Evening gentleman. Now, there's no need for all this fuss" she said, her voice projecting around the room like a practiced actress.

The guards attacked. Genevieve glanced at them, and calmly raised a paw, her irises flashing blood red. Some of them literally froze in their place.

She laughed, smiling, and then turned to the others. She extended her right paw, which still had the chain attached to it, causing the long chain to wrap around a small group of guards. Genevieve clenched her right paw, making several currents of electricity travel through the metal and electrocute the guards. Then, she did the same with the next small group, only this time using her left paw.

Genevieve, who had pulled her paw free of the chains, then looked at the last group. She sighed, "I suppose I'll have to use only my magic. Oh well" she said slyly. The High Shifter then leapt up from the group, before hovering in mid-air. Milliseconds later, dozens of lightning bolts shot from her paws, and her silver eyes glowed.

She landed, thrusting one paw into the concrete ground. As soon as it made contact, even more bolts of lightning raced across the ground, cracking it and frying the remaining guards.

Jonathan, who had managed to survive all of the attacks, stared at her, horrified. He whispered, eyes wide, "Y-You're stronger. I-I've never seen a-anyone so p-powerful. How did you get like this?" he whispered.

Genevieve sauntered towards him. Carefully, she lifted his chin with one paw, forcing him to meet her eyes. She smiled, "What do you idiots think I was doing when you would leave me alone in my cell? What do you think I've been doing night after night? I have never felt so powerful in my entire life. I was able to unlock my true abilities. It's all because of the ones who put me here. I should really be thanking them" she replied.

The fox laughed bitterly, "No, actually, I think not. It will be far more fun to seek the revenge I've always wanted to get" she continued. Genevieve pulled the hood of her cloak back over head, before heading towards the door. She said, not looking back, "Have a good evening Jonathan."

…

**Dun dun dun! **

**Book 4 won't be up for a while, because school's getting pretty demanding. But, I hope you're excited for the final book! Oh, and trust me, it's going to be epic! **

**Good luck with school everybody. **

**See you later, **

**-Babetteisawesome. **


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